You need to make this copycat recipe for Humble Crumble! | Most Lovely Things (2024)

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You need to make this copycat recipe for Humble Crumble that we had when we were in London last month. It occurred to me that maybe I’m making too much of this, but it’s so good! Yes, it’s basically an apple crumble, but as Madeline described it best, it’s a deconstructed apple crumble, which is what makes it so interesting and delicious!

What is Humble Crumble?

We discovered it while in London. Humble Crumble has two shops and they call themselves the first crumble bar. They started out selling at a farmer’s market stall to test the market. It caught on so quickly that they opened two shops in two very popular food halls in London. Borough Hall and Old Spitalfields Market. They only sell crumble and the lines are long but so worth it!

Why crumble?

Crumble is Britain’s favorite dessert! It warms people up like ice cream cools people down. Brits love their crumble and so they made it a year-round dessert by topping it with frozen custard.

Okay, so we are not adding frozen custard, but here in the United States, we like our crumble in the fall, the spring, and especially in the summer with stone fruit. And as wonderful as frozen custard sounds, the warm créme Anglaise is simply too wonderful to substitute for anything else, in my opinion!

So what is the crumble exactly?

When I first started exploring the idea I thought for the crumble I might just buy a box of shortbread and crumble it up. But upon further investigation, I discovered that it’s twice-baked shortbread. Who knew that was a thing? Well, it is and it is out of this world delicious. You can read the post here where I made it, but basically, you make shortbread, bake it, cut it into pieces and bake it again. Baking it twice gives it a warm nutty taste and is a little less sweet, balancing the other things going on in Humble Crumble.

What ingredients will I need to make this amazing Humble Crumble?

For the Apple Filling:

apples (I used two kinds, Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)

Sugar

brown sugar

corn starch

cinnamon

For the Toppings:

Twice Baked Shortbread (Recipe here)

Store-bought meringue cookies

Dried Culinary Rose Petals

Chocolate Chips

For the Crème Anglaise:

whole milk

heavy cream

vanilla

egg yolks

sugar

Can I substitute other kinds of fruit in Humble Crumble?

Yes, make this with apples and rhubarb, peaches or any seasonal fruit like you would use in a traditional crumble.

How to serve Humble Crumble at a Dinner Party

We tested this out for Madeline and her boyfriend and so we used small servings. This could be made on a much larger scale to have your own crumble bar for a much larger dinner party.

We used latte bowls in pink inspired by London’s Humble Crumble shops and added a few scoops of the cooked apples and then everyone added what they wanted as toppings.

We had small jars of twice-baked shortbread, meringue cookies, dried rose petals, chocolate chips, and a pitcher for the créme Anglaise. We set everything on a galvanized tray from Terrain. For a larger party, I would use several trays and larger jars of toppings. This is a totally customizable dessert that can be made ahead for a party of 4 of 44! And everyone would be talking about it for days!

You need to make this copycat recipe for Humble Crumble!

Humble Crumble Served in Pink Latte Bowls Inspired by the pink cups at the London crumble shops!

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Humble Crumble

You need to make this copycat recipe for Humble Crumble! | Most Lovely Things (7)

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5 from 2 reviews

This is based on Humble Crumble in London!

  • Author: annie diamond
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 54 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: dessert

Ingredients

Scale

For the apples:

  • 56 apples peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 12 teaspoons cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

For the Créme Anglaise:

  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

For the Toppings:

Instructions

For the Apples:

  1. Add the peeled, cored, and diced apples to a heavy pot and add the sugars, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and corn starch and cook until the apples are tender.

For the Créme Anglais:

  1. Combine milk and cream in a heavy medium saucepan. Add vanilla and bring milk mixture to simmer. Remove from heat.
  2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture. Return to saucepan and stir over low heat until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. It takes about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain sauce into a bowl. Cover and chill. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

Notes

Can be made with any fruit that you would typically use in a crumble.

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You need to make this copycat recipe for Humble Crumble! | Most Lovely Things (8)

Read more about our quick trip to London in this post!

You need to make this copycat recipe for Humble Crumble! | Most Lovely Things (2024)

FAQs

What is humble crumble made of? ›

For the crumble

Mix the fruit with the sugar and lemon juice, and put in the oven at 350F (180C) while you make the topping. Rub the flour, butter and salt together, then add sugar and oats. Mix until crumbly. Tumble on top of the hot fruit and return to the oven.

Is humble crumble worth it? ›

It is expensive, but worth it. The only negative is that the stall was situated near the public toilets at Borough Market, so it was unpleasant whilst queuing up! We walked from Tower bridge to Borough Market just to come try Humble crumble and it did not disappoint.

Who owns humble crumble? ›

After questioning why there were no restaurants specifically devoted to the British nostalgic dessert of crumble, London-based Kim Innes decided to open her own. Her Humble Crumble started from a farmers market in 2018 and in 2020, Innes opened her first permanent stall in Old Spitalfields Market.

How many calories are in humble crumble? ›

Energy: 285 calories
Protein7.2g
Carbs26.5g
Fat17.2g

What is crumble mix made of? ›

All you need to make a crumble topping is flour, sugar and butter. Rub cold cubes of butter into the flour using your finger tips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can stir ingredients such as oats and flaked almonds into the mixture to add some texture, if you like.

What flavor is humble Humble Crumble? ›

Humble Crumble by Humble Juice Co. is a delightful juice blend of sweetened blueberries, honey-touched graham crackers, and a dash of cinnamon to round out the delectable recipe for a perfect blueberry crumble, fresh out the oven.

What to try in Humble Crumble? ›

The crumble is great crumble I highly recommend a large rhubarb with hot custard and dark chocolate and a large is more than enough for anyone most people will be more than satisfied with the standard size!

Why is my crumble not crispy? ›

Slow and steady wins the crisp and crumble race. Baking in a moderate (350-375˚F) gives the fruit time to break down into that saucy goodness. Go too hot and the crumble topping with get too dark before the fruit is ready.

Can you reheat Humble Crumble? ›

The whole dessert can be assembled very quickly and cooked in the oven while the main course is being eaten. Crumbles are best served hot or warm. Serve with good cream or ice-cream or a good custard. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave.

What are the values of Humble Crumble? ›

Every crumble served reflects our commitment to being a compassionate, sustainable and friendly business. Nothing matters more to us than our customers, our people and our planet. So we have chosen suppliers not only for the quality of their produce but for their dedication to sustainability.

What is the meaning of crumbled? ›

intransitive verb. 1. : to fall into small pieces : disintegrate. 2. : to break down completely : collapse.

What is crumbly food? ›

Refers to the breaking or food into small pieces such as dried bread or crackers, cooked bacon, or certain hard, dry cheeses that tend to be brittle and easily broken apart.

What is the Humble Crumble May special? ›

With chilled strawberries, raspberries and cranberries 🍓 topped with shortbread and cold custard, finished with vanilla mascarpone cream, raspberry gel and freeze-dried raspberries - £7.50 at @humblecrumble just for May 🍧

How does Humble Crumble work? ›

It's simple and sweet and at Humble Crumble we only make crumbles. We use high quality and sustainably sourced ingredients and we prepare and bake each crumble individually by hand on site.

Can you eat crumble cold? ›

Apple Crumble also makes a great breakfast. Either you can microwave it, which is our usual method, or you can cover with foil and reheat at 350°f / 180°c in the oven until warmed through. Usually we tend to just warm up individual servings as needed though in the microwave. Apple crumble is also amazing cold!

What is cobbler crumble made of? ›

Crisps, Crumbles, Cobblers and Brown Bettys

All contain fruit that is mixed with sugar and often thickened with flour, cornstarch or tapioca. They are often served with ice cream or whipped cream on the side. All are popular simple summer desserts that use readily available fruit.

What is cookie crumble topping made of? ›

Streusel topping, also known as crumb topping or crumble topping, is a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter. The ratios are higher on the flour vs the butter to produce a dry, crumbly texture, but still moist enough to hold together when squeezed into large “crumbs”.

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